


Waverly Paverly

by outsidemynorm15



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, Elementary School to College, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Soulmates, True Love, no demons, time jumps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28059924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outsidemynorm15/pseuds/outsidemynorm15
Summary: “Nicole Haught! Stop pulling my ponytail!” Placing her hands on her hips, nine-year-old Waverly Earp stomped her foot on the ground. “I’m going to tell Wynonna if you don’t leave me alone.”
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 34
Kudos: 324





	1. Waverly Paverly

“Nicole Haught! Stop pulling my ponytail!” Placing her hands on her hips, nine-year-old Waverly Earp stomped her foot on the ground. “I’m going to tell Wynonna if you don’t leave me alone.”

Waverly knew everyone was afraid of her big sister. Wynonna was only 14 years old, but scary. She had already done one stint in juvey but had promised Waverly she would be good and not leave her again. Still, Wynonna enjoyed her reputation and could be very intimidating. Nicole Haught was afraid of her and Nicole wasn’t afraid of anything. 

“Yeah sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.” Nicole yelled as she ran off toward the playground. 

Still standing with her hands on her hips, Waverly looked at her best friend, Chrissy Nedley, and sighed. Chrissy nodded her head in agreement. The two girls had been friends most of their lives. Chrissy’s father was the sheriff and Waverly’s father, Ward, was the town drunk. Whenever Sheriff Nedley arrested Ward, he would pick Waverly up and take her home to stay with Chrissy. Basically, both girls had been raised by Randy Nedley. 

“I don’t know why she’s so mean to you.” Chrissy said. “You should just tell Wynonna to beat her up.”

“No. I don’t want Nonna to get in trouble.” Waverly shook her head. “Maybe she’ll move back to the city or fall off a cliff something.”

Waverly looked over and watched as Nicole played peacefully with some of the other kids in her class. The lanky redheaded girl had recently moved to Purgatory from the city and Waverly had tried to befriend her, but in return, Nicole had been down right mean to the little girl. Waverly didn’t understand why, and she really didn’t care. She had lots of friends. She didn’t need Nicole Haught.

Grabbing Chrissy’s hand and pulling her in the opposite direction, Waverly groaned. “Let’s just go play with Champ. At least he’s nice to me.”

\-----

“Champ.” Waverly frowned. She had become an expert at avoiding him, but currently he had her trapped by the school lockers. “I’m 14. You know Gus and Curtis won’t let me go on a date.” A lot of things had changed for Waverly over the last few years. Ward had run off with some stripper from Pussy Willow and her aunt and uncle had immediately agreed to take in Waverly and even Wynonna. Waverly’s life was so much better under the love and support of her adopted parents, but one thing hadn’t changed. 

“Earp, can’t you and your boyfriend mack on each other somewhere besides my locker?” Nicole said as leaned over Waverly to shove her books in locker number 13. Not that Waverly had it memorized or anything. 

“Sup Haught?” Champ asked. “You think you’re going to make varsity this year?”

Leaning against the lockers, Nicole nodded. “Absolutely. Coach already told me that I’d probably start this year.”

Nicole had always been tall, but this year, she had gotten even taller. The girls’ basketball coach had practically been drooling over her since the beginning of the school year. Everyone knew she destined to be on the team and Waverly, would be cheering her on from the sidelines. 

“Earp, since you’re a cheerleader now, guess that means you’ll forced to cheer for me.” Nicole smirked. 

Waverly would do a lot of things for Nicole if she wasn’t such an asshole. Waverly had realized earlier on that she preferred girls over boys. And she preferred Nicole over everyone, even if she was an asshole. Nicole was beautiful. Her brilliant red hair barely touched her shoulder, framing her perfectly shaped face. Her honey-brown eyes twinkled with mischief and when she smiled, she had the most amazing dimples. Sighing, Waverly moved away from Champ and toward Nicole. 

If she only had the guts to tell Nicole how she felt, maybe things between the two would be different. Maybe Nicole would be nice to her. Maybe Nicole would like her back. When Waverly had confessed her feelings to Gus and Curtis, they had said she could love whoever she wanted to love. And when she told Chrissy, her best friend hugged her and said she couldn’t care less if she liked girls, but she could do better than Nicole Haught. Watching Nicole watch her, Waverly wasn’t so sure. 

“Champ.” Nicole cleared her throat. “I think Samantha Baker was uh looking for you or something.”

“Oh yeah?” Champ perked up. “Guess I better go find her. See you later Waverly.”

“Thank you.” Waverly whispered as Champ walked away. “You know if you were nice like that all of the time, maybe we could be friends.”

Laughing, Nicole turned to leave. “Yeah sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

“Waves!” Chrissy yelled. “Come on. We have to show the new girl around.”

Catching up to her friend, Chrissy looked up to see Nicole’s retreating form. “Was Haught actually talking to you?”

“She chased Champ off.” Waverly answered. “She was almost nice to me.”

“She’s only mean to you because she’s secretly in love you.” 

“Ha ha.” Waverly said. “If she’s into girls, she definitely isn’t into me. Come on. We better go find the new girl. Do you remember her name?”

“Shae Pressman.” Chrissy relied. “I hope she’s nice and I hope she doesn’t try to steal all the guys from me.” After a beat, Chrissy added with a wry smile. “Or Nicole from you.”

—-

Watching Shae press into Nicole, Waverly groaned. “I hate Shae.”

“No, you don’t.” Chrissy said as she continued warming up. “She’s been one of our best friends for 3 years. You can’t hate her now that she’s dating Haught.” 

“It isn’t fair.” Waverly whined. “Nicole is so nice to her. Why hasn’t she ever treated me like she treats Shae”

“Well, probably because you weren’t giving up the booty.” Chrissy smirked. “Come on. It’s our last game. Our last time to cheer together, Captain. Forget about them and let’s have fun.”

Waverly couldn’t believe it was their senior year. Except for Nicole, high school had been a dream for Waverly, and she was sad it was coming to an end. She had been captain of the cheer team, captain of the debate team, homecoming queen, she would probably be prom queen, even if it meant going with Champ and with her perfect grades, she knew she would be valedictorian. She couldn’t help but feel the only thing that was missing, was someone to call her own. 

“Ok.” Waverly said with a sad smile. “You’re right. Let’s go cheer the lame redhead on to a championship.”

Hugging the sweaty players wasn’t Waverly’s favorite thing, but they had all gotten caught up in the victory. As she was about to grab her pompoms and bag, she felt herself lifted into the air. 

“We won!” Nicole yelled into Waverly’s ear as she swung them around. 

Laughing, Waverly leaned back savoring the feeling of Nicole’s arms wrapped around her. “Put me down before you hurt yourself. You don’t want to mess up your college career before you even start it.”

Nicole placed Waverly back on the ground and before Waverly could say anything Nicole turned to leave. “Yeah, sure Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

Groaning, Waverly rubbed her face. When would she catch a break?

“Waves!” Champ yelled.

Obviously, she wasn’t catching a break tonight.

“Hey Champ.” 

The poor guy was clueless. He had tried to date Waverly over the years and no matter how many times she told him no, he had yet to give up. Chrissy had convinced her to say yes if Champ asked her to the prom. She was repeating Chrissy’s words in her head as she watched Champ struggle to make words...’Waves, it doesn’t have to mean anything and at least we can all hang out together.’

“Since I’m the captain of the football team and you’re head cheerleader, we should go to prom together.”

Waverly didn’t mention that the football team sucked or that either way it was a stupid reason to go together. Instead, she smiled and said sure. 

Looking beyond Champ, she saw Nicole watching them. And then she watched as Shae grabbed Nicole’s hand and dragged her across the gym. 

—-

Shae pulled Nicole toward the dance floor. Champ pulled his chair closer to Waverly. Waverly rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe she agree to this torture. She had been forced to tell Champ multiple times that she wasn’t having sex with him and even worse, she had been forced to watch Nicole and Shae have fun. Being named prom queen hadn’t even help the night. She was ready to leave. 

“Champ. I’m ready to go home.”

“What?” 

“I’m ready to go home.”

“Come on Waves. It’s early.” Champ whined. “Don’t you want to dance or something.”

“No dancing and definitely no something.” Waverly said. “I’m going to the restroom and then I’m going home.”

Waverly knew she wasn’t acting like the award she recently won, and she wasn’t referring to Prom Queen. Last month, she had been voted nicest person in Purgatory. She had a sash and everything. But tonight, she didn’t feel like being nice. She was tired of watching Nicole dote on Shae. Tired of Champ pawing at her. In comparison, Nicole seemed perfect. Opening doors and pulling out chairs. While Champ’s main goal seemed to be to get into Waverly’s pants. Figuratively speaking. 

Exhaling as she leaned against the sink, Waverly didn’t hear someone walking in behind her. 

“Waves? Are you ok?”

Startled by the nickname, but mostly by the person saying it, Waverly looked in the mirror to see worried brown eyes watching her. Waverly was sure it was the first time Nicole had called her Waves and she couldn’t deny she liked how it sounded. She liked it so much, she kind of forgot to respond. Plus, she took the moment to look at Nicole in the light. She was stunning in the dark suit that seemed to be trailered to fit her athletic frame. 

Sounding angry, Nicole took a step closer. “Waverly, did Champ do something to you? If so, I swear, I’ll kick his ass.”

Finally coming out of her trance, Waverly turned fully and held up her hands. “No. I’m sorry. You startled me. I wasn’t exacting...”

“Me?” Giving her the crooked smile that Waverly was so found of. 

“Well...you being...”

Nodding her head in understanding, Nicole’s smile faded. “Being nice.”

“Yeah but thank you.” Waverly tried. “I’m just tired.”

Tilting her head, Nicole licked her lips and looked like she was carefully considering her next words. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Waverly felt beautiful. She and Chrissy had shopped tirelessly in search of the perfect dress. Finally, after the tenth one she had tried on, she felt like she had found the one that fit her best. It was an off the shoulder pale blue dress that flowed to the floor. So yes, she felt beautiful in it, but it was nice to hear that word from Nicole. She couldn’t believe how nice it felt to know that Nicole thought she was beautiful. 

“Thank you. You look amazing.” Blushing Waverly tried to recover. “You and Shae seem to be having fun.” 

“It’s ok.” Nicole replied. “It’s a little weird since we’re not together anymore.”

Choking on her own spit, Waverly stuttered. “Wh..what? What do you mean you aren’t together anymore?”

“We broke up three weeks ago.” Nicole shrugged. “She said I obviously was never going to get...uh yep...we broke up.”

“Is it going to be weird with you going to the same university?”

Waverly had pouted the whole day when she had heard that Shae was following Nicole to Connecticut and then from there Shae would go to med school at Harvard while Nicole entered the WNBA. Their perfect lives perfectly planned.

“We aren’t going to the same university. Shae’s going to Harvard and I signed my commitment letter last week with Stanford.”

Stuttering for the second time, Waverly shook her head. “Wh...What? I’m going to Stanford?”

Waverly could have attended Harvard too, but Stanford had an excellent ancient studies program and when they offered her a full ride, she immediately accepted. From her research, she knew that they also had an excellent women’s basketball program, but she never dreamed Nicole would go there too.

“I know.” Nicole blushed and gave Waverly’s favorite smile...the one that allowed her dimples to show. “I mean...I heard that.”

Waverly’s mind was calculating so fast that her mouth couldn’t keep up and unfortunately, she said the thing she meant the least. 

“Maybe we can hang out and be friends.” The words came out all jumbled and Waverly wanted to shove them back in her mouth as soon as she said them. She didn’t want to be just friends with Nicole. She wanted Nicole with every fiber of her body. 

Smile falling, Nicole looked down at her feet. “Yeah sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

“Waves!” Chrissy said as she shoved her way into the bathroom. “Champ has his tongue stuck down Samantha’s throat, so Perry and I are going to take you home. Let’s go! I’m ready to get my grove on, so I need to get you home ASAP.”

While staring at Chrissy, Waverly missed Nicole exit the room.

“Damnit.” Waverly dropped her head. Sighing, she couldn’t help but feel she has missed her chance. 


	2. Will she be Waverly Paverly forever?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who believes in soulmates? Waverly Paverly, that's who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, I want to thank my coach, @Shawnado5 and my editor, Sophie. You will never know how much I appreciate your help and encouragement.
> 
> This is only the second fic I've posted, but I've read a lot of them. I never thought about what comments and kudos meant to a writer. I have always hit kudos, but never left comments. I do now. I'm not trying to hit you up for comments or kudos, but I do want to encourage you to love on your favorite writers. This stuff is hard and it does help to know someone likes what you are doing. 
> 
> Take care and stay safe. Until next time...maybe.

“Nicole Haught? That’s the person who’s stopping you from getting out of our dorm room?” Placing her hands on her hips, Rosita Bustillos, stomped her foot on the ground. “If you don’t get up and come to this party with me, I’m going to call your sister. Wynonna gave me strict instructions to make sure you had fun and frankly, she’s scary. I mean totally fine, but really scary.”

Waverly knew she had won the roommate lottery with Rosita. She was smart and funny and beautiful and outgoing. If Waverly didn’t believe Nicole was her soulmate, she might be interested in her new fiery friend. And even though Waverly had been on campus a month and still hadn’t seen Nicole, she knew in her heart that the women meant something to her. Waverly also knew she had zero chances of seeing Nicole sitting inside her dorm room. 

“Eeew. Don’t say that about my sister. Ok. I’ll go.” Waverly relented. “But I’m not” using air quotes “hooking up with anyone or getting my groove on. Got it?”

“Got it.” Laughing Rosita pulled Waverly off the bed. “We’ll call this outing a date and if anyone hits on you, you can tell them you’re with the hottest girl at the party.”

“And what happens if someone hits on you?” Waverly panicked. “You won’t leave me there, will you?”

“Never.” Placing her hand over her heart, Rosita solemnly swore. “Not even if they’re super-hot.”

\-----

Rosita was definitely regretting that promise as she watched the tall, beautiful redheaded women walk into the room. She felt her feet start moving toward the girl against her will. Reaching her destination, Rosita smiled at the women. 

“Hi.” Stretching out her hand. “I’m Rosita. Can I get you a drink?”

“Nicole.” Accepting the offered hand, Nicole gave her best dimpled smile. “Nice to meet you Rosita. Thank you, but I’m not drinking tonight. I’m actually looking for someone.”

“Nicole.” Rosita repeated and something was trying to click in her alcohol hazed mind, but she couldn’t form the thought. “If I wasn’t on a date, I’d definitely try to be that someone.” 

“Date?” Nicole asked as she righted the drunk girl. “Maybe we should try and find that date. Yeah?”

“There she is. There’s my girl.” Rosita yelled. “Waves! Come here and meet...”

“Nicole.” Waverly breathed out. 

“Babe!” Wrapping her arms around Waverly, Rosita pointed toward Nicole. “Do you know each other?”

“Hey.” Nicole smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes and Waverly desperately wanted to see the crooked smile or the dimpled one. The ones she had missed so much. Even if the smiles were rarely directed toward her, Waverly loved to see Nicole’s smiles. Well, any smile besides the sad one currently on the beautiful face as she looked between Waverly and Rosita. 

“Nicole.” Waverly tried to free herself from the inebriated Rosita. “I’ve got to get this one home, but can we meet for coffee or something?” 

“Waves! I loooves you.” Rosita sang. 

Clearing her throat, Nicole turned to leave. “Sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

“Rosita.” Waverly groaned. “Did you tell Nicole we were on a date?”

“Yep! I did good.” Rosita noticing Waverly’s distress, started to do the drunken cry. “Did I do something wrong. Oh no Waves. I did something wrong...didn’t I.”

“No. It’s ok,” Waverly sighed and cussed under her breath. Great. Nicole thinks I’m dating someone. “I’ll explain the next time I see her. Let’s get you home drunkie and by the way, you’re a terrible date.” 

\-----

“Babe!” Waverly frowned. 

Walking into the room wearing only a towel wrapped around her, Rosita answered. “What’s up, sweetie pie? Need something?”

Rosita and Waverly had continued to click together like missing puzzle pieces, so it was only natural that they moved their relationship to the next level. During their sophomore year, they had moved into the apartment they currently occupied, and it had worked out like a dream. 

Tossing a pillow toward Rosita, Waverly giggled. “Don’t you have a date tonight? Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

With mischief in her eyes, Rosita turned and shook her butt. “Yeah, but it’s John Henry, so maybe I should just skip the clothes and stay with the naked?”

“If you weren’t my best friend, I would think you were a hoochie.” Waverly laughed. “But since I know you better than my own sister, I know that you’re secretly in love with John Henry and want to marry him.”

“Shut up!” Rosita blushed. “Maybe....one day...if your sister keeps turning me down.”

The two women had indeed gotten closer over the year and while Waverly still spoke to Chrissy on a regular basis, she knew Rosita was truly her best friend. Waverly even overlooked the fact that Rosita regularly hit on Wynonna when her sister visited. She was fairly sure the two wouldn’t act on their flirtatious behavior...as long as whiskey wasn’t involved, but she still kept a close watch on them. God, she missed her sister. Being so far away from her family, hadn’t been easy, so she was grateful that she had Rosita. 

“Don’t you have a hot date tonight too?” Rosita wiggled her eyes. 

“Ugh!” Waverly groaned. “Don’t say it like that, but....”

After the party, Waverly had hoped that she would simply run into Nicole. A serendipitous moment, but that didn’t happen. After two weeks, she asked Champ for Nicole’s cell number. Two more weeks later, Waverly texted Nicole and asked if she would meet her for coffee. She even signed it Waverly Paverly, but Nicole didn’t respond immediately. Nicole texted a few days later saying that she had been out of town for a game and was sorry, but she didn’t have time to meet between basketball and studying. Waverly assumed it had more to do with a picture posted on Shae’s Instagram account of the two of them with the caption —Reunited and it feels so good. Waverly was sick for days, but then decided she needed to stop being such a hopeless romantic and move on. 

“Yes.” Waverly continued. “I have a date tonight.” 

“She’s on the rugby team, right?” Rosita asked. “And she’s definitely hot, so you have a hot date.”

“Whatever. I’m going to catch an Uber and meet her at the club.” Grabbing her sweater, Waverly walked towards Rosita. “You’ll come to the club later, right?”

“Sure, but why?” Rosita asked. 

Pausing at the door, Waverly shrugged. “Just want to be sure I have backup in case it goes bad.”

“Waverly, it’s going to fine.” Rosita said. “Just have some fun.”

\-----

“Come on Waverly.” The girl said as she pressed Waverly against the bathroom wall. “Let’s have a little fun.”

Shoving the other girl off her, Waverly straightened out her skirt. “No Becca. I’m not going to have a little fun in the bathroom.”

“Fine. I’m going to go find someone who will then.” 

Exhaling as she leaned against the sink, Waverly didn’t hear someone walk in behind her. 

“Waves? Are you ok?”

Startled by the name and the voice, Waverly looked up to find Nicole Haught once again looking at her with worried eyes. 

Sounding angry, Nicole took a step closer. “Waverly, did that girl Becca do something to you? If so, I swear, I’ll kick her ass.”

“No!” Almost yelling, Waverly held up her hand. “I’m fine. We weren’t the same page. That’s all. I promise.”

Watching, Nicole’s eyes were still filed with doubt and concern, but she nodded her head. “Ok.”

“Nicole Haught.” Waverly sighed. “How is it that you’re always saving me?”

“Lucky I guess.” Nicole shrugged. 

Waverly knew she couldn’t let this moment pass. She had to do something. It had been a year since Waverly had last seen Nicole. She hadn’t even seen Nicole when she went home to Purgatory for the holidays or the summer. She couldn’t let the girl ghost her again. She wanted Nicole in her life in some way and she hoped Nicole would finally be willing to try this time. 

“Nicole, can we please be friends?” Waverly almost begged. 

Smiling, Nicole took another step toward Waverly. “Sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

“Waves!” Rosita yelled as she shoved her way into the bathroom. “Are you ok? I saw that girl Becca with her tongue shoved down someone else’s throat. What happened?” 

While staring at Rosita, Waverly missed Nicole exit the room. Again. 

“Damnit.” Waverly dropped her head. 

“Was that Haught?” Rosita asked.

“Yep.” Emphasizing the P, Waverly rubbed her eyes. “I give up! No more dating for me! I’m going to spend all my time in the library or become a nun or something. I’m obviously not meant to be with Nicole or anyone else. Yep. Going to just date the library.”

Pulling Waverly into a hug, Rosita laughed. “Alright, let’s get you home so you can start your library love affair.” 

\-----

Watching her friend, Waverly groaned. “I hate the library.” 

“No, you don’t.” Rosita said as she continued writing down her chem notes. “The library is your girlfriend. You’ve been here almost every day for the past year. You spend more time with her than me.”

“Yeah. Well, she’s a terrible lover.” Waverly laughed. “I think I’m going to break up with her.”

Looking up, Rosita smirked. “Finally, maybe now you’ll actually date a real person.”

“Um...I need a different book.” Moving quickly to avoid Rosita’s constant comments on her love life, Waverly headed toward the bookshelf. As she stood on her tiptoes to reach a book on the top shelf, she felt an arm reach around to steady her. Smelling the familiar vanilla scent that she often associated with Nicole, Waverly leaned back savoring the feeling of the body pressed against her. 

“Which book do you need?” Nicole asked as she reached for the top shelf.

“That one.” Waverly pointed and buried herself even further into Nicole. “You know if you continue to show up once a year to rescue me, I’m going to think you like me.”

Laughing, Nicole pulled down the book and handed it to Waverly. “We both know Waverly Earp never ever truly needs rescuing.”

Waverly bit her bottom lip to try and stop the smile that wanted to spread across her face. She lingered a couple of more seconds before she stepped away from Nicole. Fully taking in the figure now standing in front of her, Waverly smiled. Nicole hadn’t changed much over the last 3 years. Her hair was longer and maybe her beautiful brown eyes had lost a touch of the mischief they once held, but she was still, without a doubt, the most beautiful women Waverly had ever seen. 

“Hey.” Shaking her head as if she were clearing the cobwebs that had taken hold of her brain since she was 9 years old, Waverly reached out and touched Nicole’s hand. “I’m studying with my roommate. Would you like to join us?”

As Nicole looked down at her watch, Waverly prepared to convince her to stay. 

Looking back up, Nicole gave her a crooked smile. “Sure. I don’t have to meet my tutor for a little while.” 

Waverly slid her fingers through Nicole’s and started pulling her toward her table. 

“Rosita. This is Nicole.” Waverly grinned as she officially introduced the pair. “Nicole, this is my roommate Rosita.” 

“Roommate?” Sounding confused, Nicole whispered. “She’s your roommate.”

“Yeah. Hey Nicole.” Rosita gave a little wave. “We’ve already met. Remember? And speaking of remember, I just remembered I have a date with John Henry.” 

Watching Rosita leave, Nicole asked the question again. “So, she’s your roommate?”

“Roommate and best friend.” Waverly confirmed. “But I feel like I might need to kill her for screwing up my life for the last 3 years.”

“Me too.” Nicole chuckled. 

Once their studying was done and Nicole had left to meet her tutor, Waverly couldn’t help but feel as if the impromptu meeting had really been their first date and she hoped it wouldn’t be their last. 

On their fifth library date, after Nicole confessed that she had always liked her, Waverly climbed into Nicole’s lap and kissed the fire out of the redhead. Yes, it was inappropriate for the library, but Waverly was starving for Nicole and decided she couldn’t care less if someone caught them making out. She had missed out on too many kisses already. 

On their thirtieth library date, after they discussed their college experiences and Nicole had confided that she hadn’t been back to Purgatory since her parents disowned her for choosing teaching and coaching over a career in the WNBA, Waverly drugged her by her Stanford basketball hoodie back to her apartment. 

Pushing Nicole back onto her bed, Waverly climbed over her and finally claimed what she felt was always hers. And when Nicole sunk deep inside her, Waverly knew Nicole Haught would be her first and only love. 

Sitting up on her elbow, Waverly ran her fingers through Nicole’s hair. “Do you think we could go on a real date now? Maybe you could take me dancing or something,”

Nicole brushed her lips against Waverly’s and whispered. “Sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.”

\-----

18 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days after their first library date, Nicole finished work and headed for her car. Purgatory High had a promising team this year and she was excited at their chances for a championship. It would be their first since Nicole played there as a senior. She never imagined she would have the same excitement as a coach, but she did. 

Accepting the coaching and teaching job at Purgatory High was an easy decision for Nicole. When Waverly told her, she would like to go home while she worked on her Masters, Nicole simply said ‘Waverly Paverly, where you go, I go.” So, they packed up their things and found a nice little house not too far from Waverly’s childhood home. Nicole’ parents had even come around after their return and hadn’t missed a game. 

As Nicole slid into her car, she noticed the GPS and a note with Waverly’s neat handwriting. _‘Go to the first coordinates in the GPS and you will find further instructions.'_ Shaking her head, Nicole shift the car into drive and followed the GPS’s directions. 

When Nicole reached the elementary school playground, she saw another note taped to the fence. She couldn’t help but laugh when she read this one. _‘Nicole Haught! When we were nine and you would pull my ponytail, I thought you were the meanest person in the world. To make up for your bad behavior, type in the latitude and longitude and head toward your next location and maybe I’ll forgive you._ ' 

Laughing, Nicole ran toward her car and typed in the new address and headed toward her next destination. 

Nicole smiled when she pulled into the middle school parking lot and saw Chrissy Nedley standing at the door. She could only assume Chrissy was part of the scavenger hunt Waverly had her on. As she approached their friend, Nicole laughed. “I assume you know why I am here.”

“Yep.” Chrissy nodded. “Follow me.”

As she approached her intended destination, Nicole saw a note taped to locker 13. Her old locker. The one she would often find Waverly leaning against as she talked to her friends. Pulling the note down, she turned to Chrissy. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Just read the note Haught.” 

As she read, Nicole felt tears pooling in her eyes. 

‘Ye _s, you were mean to me, but then you always defended me and looked out for me. Standing by this locker, I realized for the first time, that I loved you. I just didn’t realize how big that love would be. Now, enter the next coordinates and come find me.'_

“Thank you, Chrissy!” 

Running back toward her car, Nicole entered what she hoped would be the coordinates that finally took her to her love. And when she pulled into the parking lot of the gym, she knew why Waverly had brought her back here. This was the place Nicole had told Waverly that over the lonely college years she had called the “what if gym.” 

What if, when she had spun Waverly around after she won the championship game, she had instead told Waverly she wanted to be more than friends. What if, when she found Waverly leaning against the bathroom sink during prom, she had told Waverly that she loved her. What if she had told Waverly said that Shae had broken up with her because Shae knew that Nicole had secretly loved Waverly since she was 9 years old and would never get over her. What if, standing in the old gym’s restroom, Nicole had told Waverly she had accepted the scholarship to Stanford because she knew Waverly was going there too and she desperately wanted to start their lives together then. 

Entering the gym, Nicole finally saw her Waverly. She was standing in the middle of the gym in a simple blue dress. Her hair was down and wavy, Nicole’s favorite. When she heard Nicole, Waverly looked up and had the most beautiful smile. The one that made her eyes look like crescent moons. The smile that always took Nicole’s breath away. 

“Nicole Haught! That took you long enough!” Placing her hands on her hips, Waverly Earp stomped her foot on the ground, but then she laughed and reached for Nicole. Leaning up, she captured Nicole’s lips in a sweet kiss. “Nicole Haught. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, and I know I will love you forever. We missed so many moments together and I don’t want to miss anymore.”

Taking a Waverly’s hand, Nicole visibly swallowed. “Waverly Earp.” 

“Please. Let me.” Waverly interrupted.

Nicole tilted her head and her dimple deepened on her left cheek as she smiled. 

Bending down on one knee, Waverly looked around to make sure their family and friends had arrived. Waverly paused when she found her sister. Wiping a tear off her check, Wynonna gave Waverly a nod and a little wink. Waverly couldn't imagine this moment being anymore perfect. 

Looking up at Nicole, Waverly smiled and asked the question she had wanted to ask so many times over the last year. 

“Nicole Haught.” Pausing, briefly. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” Nicole beamed and nodded her head. “Yes, I will.”

Pulling Waverly up into a kiss, Nicole laughed as she heard the room erupted into cheers and music. “You invited everyone to our proposal.” 

“Yes. Yes, I did. They were here to make sure we didn’t screw up anymore.” Waverly smirked. “Now, will you finally dance with me?”

Nicole leaned her forehead against Waverly’s and whispered. “Sure, Waverly Paverly. Whatever you want.” 

\-----

Waverly pulled Nicole toward the dance floor. She couldn’t believe this day was finally here. Wrapping her arms around Nicole’s shoulders, Waverly smiled for what had to be the millionth time that day. 

“Is it bad that I never want this day to end?” Nicole said as she pulled Waverly close. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Waverly had carefully chosen her dress and she felt confident in it. It was white with a long train and her veil had delicate lace flowers sown throughout. She felt beautiful in it, but even after all this time, it was nice to hear that word from Nicole. 

“Thank you. You look amazing.” Waverly blushed. “I mean...you do wear a suit very well.”

Standing taller, Nicole straightened out her tie. She was wearing another dark suit, but Waverly had insisted that it wasn't the same as the one that she wore to prom. Nicole had agreed with a laugh and her usually response. 

Suddenly, Waverly’s mind started imagining getting Nicole out of said suit. “Baby, I think it’s time to leave. Can we go now?”

Leaning down, Nicole whispered against Waverly’s lips. “Sure, Mrs. Haught. Whatever you want.” 

Waverly laughed and captured her wife’s lips in a bruising kiss. There was a time when she hated when Nicole said that line, but now she hoped Nicole would say it every day...for the rest of their lives. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after...forever.


End file.
